CROWLEY: The [Virginia] Governor didn’t even mention slavery in his proclamation. Was that a mistake?

BARBOUR: Well, I don’t think so…I don’t know what you would say about slavery, but anyone who thinks that you have to explain to people that slavery is a bad thing — I think it goes without saying.

When Crowley pointed out the sensitivity of the issue and how offensive it is to celebrate something that is about slavery with no mention of it, Barbour had the “Democrats do it too” response.

BARBOUR: Well maybe they should talk to my Democratic legislature, which has done exactly the same thing in Mississippi for years. As far as I know, the Democratic legislature — we have a majority — both houses are Democrats. I’m unaware of them being criticized for it or them having their supporters feel uncomfortable with it.

[…]

To me it’s a sort of feeling that it’s just a nit. That it is not significant. It’s trying to make a big deal out of something that doesn’t matter for diddly.

Mississippi could use a bit of image repair, given that it didn’t ratify the slavery-abolishing 13th Amendment until 1995 and the segregationist Jim Crow laws were on the books until 2009.